National museum in Athens, Greece
The
National Archaeological Museum
(
Greek
:
Εθνικ? Αρχαιολογικ? Μουσε?ο
,
romanized
:
Ethniko Archaiologiko Mouseio
) in
Athens
houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around
Greece
from
prehistory
to
late antiquity
. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of Greek Antiquity artifacts worldwide.
[1]
It is situated in the
Exarcheia
area in central Athens between Epirus Street, Bouboulinas Street and Tositsas Street while its entrance is on the
Patission Street
adjacent to the historical building of the
Athens Polytechnic university
.
History
[
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]
The first national archaeological museum in Greece was established by the governor of Greece
Ioannis Kapodistrias
in
Aigina
in 1829. Subsequently, the archaeological collection was relocated to a number of exhibition places until 1858, when an international architectural competition was announced for the location and the architectural design of the new museum.
[2]
The current location was proposed and the construction of the museum's building began in 1866 and was completed in 1889 using funds from the
Greek Government
, the
Greek Archaeological Society
and the society of
Mycenae
. Major benefactors were
Eleni Tositsa
who donated the land for the building of the museum, and Demetrios and Nikolaos
Vernardakis
from
Saint Petersburg
who donated a large amount for the completion of the museum.
The initial name for the museum was
The Central Museum
. It was renamed to its current name in 1881 by
Prime Minister of Greece
Charilaos Trikoupis
. In 1887 the important archaeologist
Valerios Stais
became the museum's curator.
During
World War II
the museum was closed and the antiquities were sealed in special protective boxes and buried, in order to avoid their destruction and looting. In 1945 exhibits were again displayed under the direction of
Christos Karouzos
and
Semni Karouzou
. The south wing of the museum houses the
Epigraphic
Museum with the richest collection of inscriptions in the world. The inscriptions museum expanded between 1953 and 1960 with the architectural designs of
Patroklos Karantinos
.
[3]
In 2023, the Greek government approved plans for a 20,000 square metre underground extension to the museum. The extension is expected to be completed by 2028 and will also feature a rooftop garden.
[4]
The building
[
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]
The museum has an imposing
neo-classical
design which was very popular in Europe at the time and is in accordance with the
classical
style artifacts that it houses. The initial plan was conceived by the architect
Ludwig Lange
and it was later modified by
Panagis Kalkos
who was the main architect,
Armodios Vlachos
and
Ernst Ziller
. At the front of the museum there is a large
neo-classic
design garden which is decorated with sculptures.
[2]
Expansions and renovations
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]
The building has undergone many expansions. Most important were the construction of a new east wing in the early 20th century based on the plans of
Anastasios Metaxas
and the construction of a two-storeyed building, designed by
George Nomikos
, during 1932?1939.
[2]
These expansions were necessary to accommodate the rapidly growing collection of artifacts. The most recent refurbishment of the museum took more than 1.5 years to complete, during which the museum remained completely closed. It reopened in July 2004, in time for the
Athens Olympics
and it included an aesthetic and technical upgrade of the building, installation of a modern air-conditioning system, reorganisation of the museum's collection and repair of the damage caused by the 1999
earthquake
. The Minoan frescoes rooms opened to the public in 2005.
[5]
In May 2008 the Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis inaugurated the much anticipated collection of Egyptian antiquities and the collection of Eleni and Antonis Stathatos.
[6]
In 2020, there was renewed discussion regarding the need to further expand the museum to adjacent areas. A new plan was made for a subterranean expansion at the front of the museum.
In 2023, the Greek government approved plans for a 20,000 square metre underground extension to the museum. The extension is expected to be completed by 2028 and will also feature a rooftop garden.
Collections
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]
The museum's collections are organised in sections:
[7]
Prehistoric collection
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]
The prehistoric collection displays objects from the
Neolithic
era (6800?3000 BC), Early and Mid-
Bronze Age
(3000?2000 BC and 2000 to 1700 BC respectively), objects classified as
Cycladic
and
Mycenaean
art.
Neolithic era and early and mid-Bronze Age collection
[
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]
There are ceramic finds from various important Neolithic sites such as
Dimini
and
Sesclo
from middle
Helladic
ceramics from
Boeotia
,
Attica
and
Phthiotis
. Some objects from
Heinrich Schliemann
excavations in
Troy
are also on display.
Key highlights of the collections include:
Cycladic art collection
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]
Cycladic collection features the famous marble figurines from the
Aegean
islands of
Delos
and
Keros
including the
Lutist
. These mysterious human representations, which resemble modern art and inspired many artists such as
Henry Moore
,
[11]
came from the 3rd millennium BC old cemeteries of Aegean islands along with bronze tools and containers.
Mycenean art collection
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]
Mycenean civilization is represented by stone, bronze and ceramic pots, figurines, ivory, glass and faience objects, golden
seals
and rings from the vaulted tombs in Mycenae and other locations in the Peloponnese (
Tiryns
and
Dendra
in
Argolis
,
Pylos
in
Messinia
and
Vaphio
in
Lakonia
). Of great interest are the two golden cups from Vafeio showing a scene of the capture of a bull.
Heinrich Schliemann finds
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]
Mycenean collection includes also the magnificent 19th-century finds of
Heinrich Schliemann
in
Mycenae
from the
Grave Circle A
and the earlier
Grave Circle B
. Most notable are the golden funerary masks which covered the faces of deceased Mycenean nobles. Among them, the most famous is the one that was named erroneously as the
mask of Agamemnon
.
There are also finds from the citadel of
Mycenae
including relief stelae, golden containers, glass, alabaster and amber tools and jewels. Other features include an ivory carving of two goddesses with a child, a painted limestone head of a goddess and the famous warrior's vase dating from the 12th century.
Egyptian art collection
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]
The
Egyptian
collection dates back to the last twenty years of the 19th century. Notable is the donation of the Egyptian government which in 1893 offered nine mummies of the era of the
Pharaohs
from
Bab el-Gasus
. However, the Egyptian collection is mainly by two donors,
Ioannis Dimitriou
(in 1880) and of Alexandros Rostovic (in 1904). In total the collection includes more than 6000 artefacts, 1100 of which are available presently for the public. The collection is considered to be one of the best collections of
Egyptian art
in the world.
The exhibition features rare statues, tools, jewels, mummies, a wooden body tag for a mummy, a stunning bronze statue of a princess, intact bird eggs and a 3000-year-old loaf of bread with a bite-sized chunk missing. The exhibition centrepiece is a bronze statue of the princess-priestess
Takushit
, dating to around 670 BC. Standing 70 cm high and wearing a gown covered in hieroglyphs, the statue was found south of
Alexandria
in 1880.
[12]
Stathatos collection
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]
The Stathatos collection is named for the donors and major Greek benefactors Antonis and Eleni Stathatos. The collection features about 1000 objects, mainly jewels as well as metal objects, vases, and pottery from the Middle
Bronze Age
to post-
Byzantine
era. Features of special note are the
Hellenistic period
golden jewels from
Karpenissi
and
Thessaly
.
Artists and artifacts
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Some of the ancient artists whose work is presented in the museum are
Myron
,
Scopas
,
Euthymides
,
Lydos
,
Agoracritus
,
Agasias
,
Pan Painter
,
Wedding Painter
,
Meleager Painter
,
Cimon of Cleonae
,
Nessos Painter
,
Damophon
,
Aison (vase painter)
,
Analatos Painter
,
Polygnotos (vase painter)
,
Hermonax
.
Collections include
sculpture
work,
Loutrophoros
,
amphora
,
Hydria
,
Skyphos
,
Krater
,
Pelike
, and
lekythos
vessels,
Stele
,
frescoes
, jewellery, weapons, tools, coins, toys and other ancient items.
Artifacts derive from archaeological excavations in
Santorini
,
Mycenae
,
Tiryns
,
Dodona
,
Vaphio
,
Rhamnous
,
Lycosura
,
Aegean islands
,
Delos
, the
Temple of Aphaea
in
Aegina
, the
Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia
in
Sparta
,
Pylos
,
Thebes
, Athens,
Vari Cave
, the
Antikythera wreck
and from various other places in
Greece
.
[2]
The museum houses the archaic terracota statuette
daidala
that inspired the designers of the 2004
Athens Olympics
maskots
Athena and Phevos
.
New exhibits
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Two of the newest exhibits of the museum include a 4th-century BC golden funerary wreath and a 6th-century BC marble statue of a woman, which were returned as stolen artifacts to Greece in 2007 by the
Getty Museum
in
California
, after a 10-year-long legal dispute between the
Getty Center
and the
Greek Government
.
[13]
One year earlier, the
Los Angeles
foundation agreed to return a 4th-century BC
tombstone
from near Greek
Thebes
and a 6th-century BC votive relief from the island of
Thassos
.
[14]
Museum highlights
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Library of archaeology
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The museum houses a 118-year-old library of archeology with rare ancient art, science and philosophy books and publications. The library has some 20,000 volumes, including rare editions dating to the 17th century.
[15]
The bibliography covers archaeology, history, arts,
ancient religions
and
ancient Greek philosophy
, as well as Ancient Greek and Latin literature. Of particular value are the diaries of various excavations including those of
Heinrich Schliemann
. The collection of archaeology books is the richest of its kind in
Greece
. The Library has been recently renovated with funds from the
Alexander S. Onassis Foundation
. Its renovation was completed on 26 May 2008 and is now named after
Alexander Onassis
.
[16]
Museum activities
[
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- Conservation laboratories
- Photographic archive and chemistry laboratories
- Organises temporary exhibitions in the museum and abroad
- Hosts a large number of archaeology related lectures in its lecture-hall annually
Access
[
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The museum is accessible by the
Athens metro
. The nearest station is Victoria Station (Line 1) and it is within a 5-minute walk from the museum. The museum houses a gift shop with artifact replicas and a cafe in the sculpture garden. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible. There are also facilities and guides for hearing-impaired visitors. It is next to the old building of the National Technical University and is served by bus, trolleybus and metro. It is not served by Proastiakos or the Athens Tram.
See also
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References
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External links
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